If there's one thing I've learned on Sons of Anarchy, it's never to underestimate Gemma. She may have suffered in last week's second season opener but she remains solid as ever. Not that being brutally raped doesn't take a toll on her. It does and we see it all in "Small Tears," which opens with a cold and helpless Gemma on the floor of an abandoned warehouse while Katey Sagal gives her own rendition "Ruby Tuesday" on the background. It's disheartening and outright haunting.

Putting the interest of SAMCRO above everything else, Gemma keeps her mouth shut to Clay, Jax and the rest of the gang but enlists the help of unlikely allies, Uncer and Tara, who take their vow of silence as well. My first thought upon seeing a fragile and bruised Gemma was how on earth will they keep this from Clay? Leave it to Uncer to think of a clever way to conceal what happened. Uncer makes it look like Gemma got into a car accident and, with the help of good doctor Tara, the club immediately buys the alibi.

From the previews, I couldn't imagine why Gemma would not seek revenge after going through such a horrible experience. She's always been tough and doesn't shy away from violence. But now I understand that, in a way, keeping quiet is her vengeance because telling Clay what happened is exactly what LOAN wants. And she simply explains this to Uncer by saying, "What those animals did was to hurt Clay, Jax. Anyone finds it out, they win. I can't let that happen."

While it looks like Gemma has everything under control for now, it's only a matter of time before LOAN figures out yet another move to tear down the club. Meanwhile, the tension between Clay and Jax hasn't melted one bit. Jax's attempt to pin Opie's murder of the Mayan gang member on the One-Niners blows up in his face when SAMCRO gets caught in a shootout, prompting Clay to give Jax a warning about his hasty decisions. On the other hand, Opie is on a dangerous path, trying to destroy every Mayan he encounters, and not seeming to care if this ends his life in the process.

What made me laugh:

Jax being compared by Georgie Caruso (Tom Arnold) to Brad Pitt.

Sagal's husband, Kurt Sutter, also known as the creator of Sons of Anarchy, steps in front of the cameras again as Otto Delaney ---this wasn't really funny but it was nice to see him again on screen.

Jax telling Luann, "You think I brought you here to Adriana you?" - a reference to his on-screen baby mama Drea DeMatteo's character on The Sopranos.

SAMCRO investing into pornography for the sake of creating a "legitimate" business.

Tig waking up with some random bar chick on top of him and rolling her off him and saying, "I love you" after she falls on the floor.